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The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, has urged state governors to prioritize the establishment of cattle ranches in their various states before enacting the anti-grazing law.
Idris made the call on Wednesday at the Northern states stakeholders’ security summit in Kaduna. Traditional and religious leaders, as well as government officials were in attendance.
He said the provision of cattle ranches will make the law acceptable to all the parties concerned.
The IGP said to reduce clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria, state governors must endeavour to establish grazing ranches before enacting laws to prohibit open rearing and grazing.
Warning that hasty enactment of laws against open grazing could aggravate herders/farmers clashes, tge IGP stated that grazing ranches should come before anti-open grazing laws.
He said: “I have visited Benue and Nasarawa states and observed that the crises trailing the Benue State prohibition of open grazing of livestock would have been mitigated if it had first established grazing ranches as provided in the law established by the state Assembly”.
According to him, it would be wrong to arrest and punish herders for open grazing when ranches are not established.